Western Culture stemmed from a fusion of various civilizations. The Greek and the Roman civilizations had some of the biggest impact on the development of the ancient world. What was different about these societies from other cultures within the ancient civilizations was their political and religious systems. Through expansion by principal leaders, influence of literature, architecture, and mindset, the Greeks and Romans spread their culture across that of the Western world. The Greek and Roman civilizations differed from each other in ways, but were more alike than many other cultures. Persia for example, was much different from Greece specifically. Persia was an agricultural based empire with strict capitals throughout, whereas, Greece …show more content…
was comprised of numerous city-states or the “polis” relying on a merchant system. Within the Persian Empire people were treated rather equally, women were paid by skill, similarly to men . They were a very tolerant population, accepting most. On the contrary, Greek society was primarily dominated by males. Women were pretty much excluded from public life and were not even given citizenship. Their job was simply to raise children and remain in the home to preserve themselves, and to keep themselves out of trouble . As these civilizations grew further apart, they eventually came into conflict during the Greco-Persian wars from roughly 499-479 B.C.E. These wars began by a few Greek city-states disagreeing with the rule of Persian King Darius. If the Greeks had not won this overall battle, society could have been heavily impacted by the Persian Empire rather than the Greeks, altering a lot of history. Much of what future civilizations learned came from the Greeks. Historian and author, Herodotus, wrote of the Greco-Persian wars. He was one of the first to methodically deliberate the cause and effect of history by analyzing the wars through use of outside sources and investigation . Literature from the great thinkers was a very important aspect of the ancient world. Homer, a man come to be a famous poet, wrote two great epics known as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Through his work, Homer illustrated various universal lessons. He portrayed the concepts of courage, honor, struggle, and contest using magnificent heroes. Scholars believe that Homer exemplifies social conditions from the period of the Greek Dark Ages teaching generations to follow about the life of these people. Similar to Homer, a Roman writer by the name of Livy based his work off of various Greek events to demonstrate lessons, morals, and patriotism to the Romans. He used stories to prove certain events made Rome great in order to remind the people of their remarkable city. Nearly parallel to the thoughts of later stories regarding George Washington, the stories had “little basis in fact” however delivered “mythic images” in order to strengthen the patriotism of the Romans . Socrates, another famous Greek critic and philosopher who, similar to Greece, was more of a concept considering we only know of him through his pupils . Socrates’ though process was more alike to that of Herodotus. He focused on a question-answer based reasoning and believed that each human himself needed to call upon critical thinking. The thoughts and works of these people made such an impact on future societies by teaching what would become the foundation of culture. Comparable to that of literature, art and architecture played a major role in the formation of culture as well. Romans and Greeks alike designed massive buildings for various purposes and were known for beautiful art. Within Greek architecture “eternally true ideals” were presented.
The foundation of Greek culture was balance, reason, and harmony which can be unveiled in their art. As the civilization heavily revolved around religion, massive temples were built to serve the Gods. Greeks believed in many Gods, meaning they had polytheistic views . This notion of polytheism passed down to the Romans who adopted nearly the exact same deities and built similar architecture as well. One of the most famous buildings of worship was the Greek Parthenon built around 447-432 B.C.E, worshipping the goddess Athena . While building these brilliant pieces of art, concepts regarding laws and the natural world from philosophers were being incorporated in the structure. Pillars were often built in temples and various buildings in both Greek and Roman cultures. Doric, ionic, and Corinthian stand as the main three pillars built; each of them becomes increasingly more elaborate by order. For example, the Corinthian was the most intricate. Romans quickly developed a taste for this form of architecture and incorporated into theirs later on. The Romans however were very inventive, and began to develop the arch, vault and dome to add to what they emulated from the Greeks. Using these elements the Romans built what is known as the Coliseum, built over a 10 year span from around 70 AD to 80 AD. The Coliseum was said to hold 50,000 spectators and was used for entertainment
purposes.
American culture and most of the things that people do, see, and think wouldn’t be the way they are if it weren't for the Romans and what they created and accomplished as an ancient empire. In ancient Rome, in their time of expansion and flourish were able to create and build so much technology and ideas that helped build their empire and create a unique image of what they are. These in turn spread with some being so groundbreaking that it they are still used commonly and frequently and others becoming the inspiration and basis of even more achievements The Roman Empire is the most influential empire to have impacted U.S. culture due to their achievements such as spread of Christianity, the creation of the Latin language, and the ideas justice.
The Parthenon was an amazing and important temple. Dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, it was a very important temple to the Greeks. Greeks worshiped all of their gods by building temples for them and giving sacrifices. Most of the sacrifices were sacred tiles designed especially for the gods, not many were human.
Ancient Greece made many achievements in architecture that impact society today. There are five orders of classical architecture: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite. The first three were developed by the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks developed Doric columns instead of using the previous wooden columns. This was a vertical fluted column shaft, thinner at its top, with no base. The Greeks were skilled with stoneworking and were able to make incredible buildings such as the parthenon (Doc. 7) and the temple of Hephaistos. The Greeks also built a great theater in skillful places so that every one of all 12,000 people in the theater can hear the actors voice. The Greeks also made sophisticated temples - some of which were to their
You may know that the Romans have achieved many feats of architecture. An example is the Arch of Constantine made in 312 AD. It is a arch that celebrates the emperor Constantine that shows many works of roman art. Another achievement is the Appian Way which is a road that goes to southeast Itlay. This road was built in 312 BCE and extended for up to 330 miles! One of the greatest structure of all was the Pantheon which was one of Rome's most sophisticated monuements which has been in use for over 2000 years. The Pantheon had the most largest circular dome in the world and was used as a temple to worship the gods. Living in Rome the people went to the Roman Forum which was a place used for public meetings, religious spectacles, courts, and much more. It was built in 203 AD. Even though these structures are greatly made they would not have survived through many of the years without building materials.
There style was influenced by both the Greeks and the Etruscans and from there they formed their own style known as ‘Ancient Roman Architecture’. Their base building material and one of their greatest discoveries was concrete. They used this as a backbone for many of their structures.Two of the Romans most known structures were the Pantheon which was built to honor the gods and is the best preserved Ancient Roman monument. The first Pantheon was built by Emperor Augustus right hand, Agrippa in 27 BC but burned in 80 AD, it was rebuilt by Emperor Domitian, struck by lightning and burned again in 110 AD. The Pantheon we know and see today was built in 120 AD by Emperor Hadrian. This structure was a huge achievement because of the huge dome which was built perfectly and remains the largest unsupported dome in the world. And the other is the colosseum which was built during the reign of the emperor, Vespasian but later finished during the reign of Titus. It was an amphitheater that held celebrations, gladiator fights, animal fights, executions of enemies, and the reenactment of naval battles. Arches, which were also spread by the romans, were stacked on top of one another allowing light to come in and helped build high
Rome and Greece were both quite influential in today’s world, but one has impacted us more than the other. They were both very innovative society, creating, building, new useful tools that we use in today’s world. Although, Rome has created more that has helped shaped how we live and work in the current world. Romans learned to share ideas and improve their society as a whole. They had education available and any laws made, applied to everyone. The structure of the Roman government and the economy also helped shape ours into what it is today. Between Greece and Rome, Rome has made the biggest impact on the United States today.
The ancient Romans had many contributions that were important to the western civilization. Some of their contributions include the aqueducts, public baths, markets, and juries. The Romans were also the greatest builders of the ancient western world. They created a legacy that proved to be as dominant as it was long lasting and many roman principles are embodied in their modern instructions. The Romans made varies of contributions to the Western Civilization, but a few are the most important of all. Rome was the most important civilization to the Western World. It had left a great legacy behind by paving the road for the spread of Christianity, forming the basis for the republic, and allowing for a widespread diffusion of culture.
The Parthenon was a temple built in ancient Greece to honor the goddess, Athena. It was built around 447-‐‑438 BCE. The Pantheon, on the other hand, was built in Rome to celebrate all Roman Gods in 126 CE. Today, Parthenon is used as the museum, while Pantheon is used in Roman Catholic Church. In the Athenian Empire, Parthenon symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian politician, Pericles, who championed its construction. Some historians say that the building is an expression of the confidence of the Athenians in this new empire(1). Pantheon in Rome means that "ʺof, relating to, or common to all the gods"ʺ(Oxford English Dictionary). After of the Battle of Actium, Marcus Agrippa started to build three buildings: the Baths of Agrippa, the Basilica of Neptune, and the Pantheon.
America and the Roman Empire have many similarities and also many differences. The decline of Rome was because of corruptions, greed for power, constant warfare and the moral decline. America, on the other hand, is declining in economics, politics, and moral values just like Rome did before it collapsed. Among them, America’s decline in moral values because of less influence on children from their parents and dependence on media information and devices is a serious issue for every American.
There are many different ways that modern cultures in the west have been impacted and built upon, but there are two ancient cultures that were the most influential. The Greek and Roman cultures helped shape Western Civilization in many ways. Both were very important factors in the development of Western culture. The Greeks contributed through art, architecture, government, philosophy, education, and science. The Romans contributed through language, engineering, law, and government.
In my opinion, The Greek Parthenon and the Roman Pantheon have more similar physical attributes than differences, and the Hellenistic period, which lasted almost 3 centuries, forced a meeting of various cultures that in turn impacted the worship of gods and other aspects of
Rome contributed to major cultural advancements that transform cultural heritages and legacy through major attributes. Romans influenced groups and societies that history transpired to generations that came after the Roman era. Speaking of Rome has an essence in its own right when uttering the name “Rome” my mind automatically thinks of regal, royalty, power, and leadership. If this semester didn’t teach me anything it taught me the importance and significant of our history and how Rome is at forefront of making it all possible. The evidence of Rome’s nostalgic, historic input is evident throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.
Both cultures spoke different languages and had different kinds of ruling governments. The Greeks spoke ancient Greek, and the Romans spoke Latin. Greeks had a variety of ruling power. They ranged from kings and oligarchs to the totalitarian, racist, warrior culture of Sparta, and the direct democracy of Athens. Romans had kings that gave way to a representative, elected republic (Historynet).
There are differences and similarities between Greek and Roman architecture because the Romans built on the earlier Greek knowledge but invented from there. Roman architecture was highly influenced by Greece, but the Romans also diverged to create a separate identity and uniqueness. Similarities between
While all past cultures contributed to the forward march of progress, there are three highly developed historical cultures which did even more - they thrived. The three main civilizations each had phenomenally developed cultures which evolved through their system of writing, their architecture, their philosophy, their government, and their religion. These three cultures eventually set the standards for western civilizations. For example, Washington D.C. could be called a modern Athens, in which its architecture is nearly the same and the justification for its existence is the administration of the government. In Greece democracy began and architecture advanced, along with disciplines such as mathematics and medicine. Mainly though, style was everything; women would even wear (poisonous!) white lead makeup to impress the guys and, of course, their gods (Hull 2007, 34). Ancient Greece was a major culture from around 776 B.C. to 323 B.C. Egypt propelled the evolution of the written word through their use of hieroglyphics from 3100 B.C. to 2000 B.C. Finally, in Ancient India religion was everything, being the home of both Buddhism and Hinduism, and some people would even try meditating for forty-nine days like Siddhartha Gautama (Armento et al. 2003, 236 and 237). Ancient India flourished from around 1500 to 467 A.D. These cultural traits and many more are why these three civilizations were so highly developed for their time.